Paving tile



' Feb. 28,1928. 1,661,037v

J. R. GAMMETER PAVING TILE Filed March 27, 1924 Patented Feb. 28, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,661,037 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN R. GAMIETEB, 0F AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T0 THE B. F. GOODRICH COMPANY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK. y

PAVING TILE.

appucaaon med laren 27, 1924. serial ne. 702,320.

This invention relates to paving or fiooring material presenting a resilient or cushion surface and more particularly to materials of this character in the form of tiles or paving blocks. Heretofore tiles and paving blocks composed of rubber or provided witha facing of rubber have been made, but the proper anchoring of the rubber to its lunderlying structure, such as a roadbed, a Hoor, or a paving block, has presented a ditlicult problem, for which many solutions have been proposed, and, so far as I am aware, no one of them has been entirely satisfactory.

The chief object of m invention is to provide an improved met od of anchoring a sheet of resilient rubber to an underlying structure such as a concrete floor, paving block or roadbed, and to provide an improved loor structure for a room, a roadway or the like. Another object is to provide a floor tile or the like of composite construction which will not be caused to bend or warp by unequal expansion or contraction of its component materials.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective `view of a plurality of tiles, embodying my invention, in assembled relation upon a concrete sub-flooring structure.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view, on a larger scale, of one of the tiles in inverted position.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of a portion of the same, with its tread surface uppermost.

My invention, briefly stated, comprises vulcanizing a sheet of soft-rubber compound to a substructure comprising rubber and adapted to provide a relatively stiff base upon vulcanization, and forming the opposite 'side of said base with a surface adapted to adhere to, and plreferably to interlock with, a moldable, ardening composition such as concrete.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Fig. 3, the tile 10 comprises a base `structure of a relatively hard, brous, vulcanized rubber composition 11, and a soft rubber surface layer 12 vulcanized thereon.

The reverse side of the base portion 11, in the embodiment here shown, is formed with parallel undercut slots orgrooves 13, 13, dening dove-tail ribs 14, 14, which are adapted to be pressed into and interlock w1th a hardening material such as cement or con- To prevent unequal expansion or contrae? tion of the component elements of the rub` f berv tile structure from warping it, and to increase its flexibility, its base la er of hard, librous rubber 1 1 preferably is ormed with a plurality of parallel slots or cuts 16, 16, disposed 'transversely with relation to the ribs 14, and extending almost through the hard rubber layer, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. Thus the rubber structure is prevented from curling, so as to facilitate the association of the concrete or similar base structure therewith, and additional surface for adhesion is provided.

The tiles may be molded and vulcanized in large sheets, in accordance with known or suitable practice and subsequently cut into a plurality of smaller tiles of any desired shape. The surface layers 12 of different tiles or blocks may be of different colors, so that artistic combinations may be produced in the laying thereof. The hard body portion of the tile maybe of an inexpensive material, such as a liber-filled rubber compound or rag stock, and the cost of the tile may thus be reduced without impairing its wearing qualities. The grooves 13 and 16 permit the tiles to expand and contract with the material to which they are attached, without rupture of the rubber surface.

Modifications may be resorted to without departing from the scope of my invention.

I claim: i 1. A paving tile comprising a surface layer of resilient material and a backing of `hard material integrally united therewith, said backing having a multiplicity of kerfs extending substantially therethrough to compensate for unequal expansion and contraction of the surface layer and the backing.

2. A paving tile comprising a surface of relatively soft rubber and a backing of relatively hard rubber composition integrally secured thereto, -said backing being traversed by a multiplicity of slots extend- Q l v meros? ing across the ,backing and substantially therethrough to compensate for unequal expension and contraction of the facing and backing. i

3. A paving.V tile comprising e surface layer of resilient materiel und s hacking oi hard materiel integrally unired therewith, seid bucking having 'formeel therein parallel undereurrent grooves traversed by sliis ein l@ lending substantially through the hooking for compensating for unequal expansion and contraction of the surface layer and ehe backing.

e. A. paving tile comprising e surface yle er of relatively .soit rubherend o backing of), herd materiel integrally united here'o, said backing being formeel on its reverse side with parallel ribs er anchoring the tile in o sulostrue-ure end Wieh Channels travers- 2@ ing the ribs and exending substantially ihrough the backing for compensating Yor unequal expansion enel contractions of J@he surface loyer enel hackingo e Y.

5. A paving tile comprising e surfe-ce 25 leger of e relatively soils ruloleer and e heel;-

ing o o relatively hard rubber both layers heilig vulcanized in contant, seid boeking having on its reverse side projecting ribs for enehorin the tile to e substructure end a multiplicity of kerfs traversing seid ribs 3o end, extending substantially through the backing for compensating for the une ual expansion and contractions of the suriece layer and the hooking.

6. The method of making e floor serueeui'e 35 Whiehfeomprises vuleanizing e eeing lever of soft rubber in e hacking layer, of herd rubber composition enel forrnng'izhe reverse side of loe backing layer with eh rencling substantially herethroug v. pre [nl vent differential expansion hexween he fue' ing and backing from causing e r curling of lie ruleher9 structure against the sur-fece of soft moierial eclepe. heerlen up@ ing, end permitting ehek seid me harden to loelr the rubin-er strueure i ln Witness -whereoi2 have hereuno sie@ .my hand this 25th dey oi MerenJ l I 

